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I"m a newbie with a couple few questions.Its taken a while but ive finally got the spawn thing down,so I layerd the rye grain spawn in trays with vermiculite on bottom (moist), let it recover for a day then i cased with moist topsoil.Next i let the mycelium get to the valleys and was watering every day to bring up to optimum moister.Now i know that sounds like a lot of water but i still fill like its not moist enough.my humidity is around 83%,( if the gauge is working right) for some reason i cant get it any higher than that so i mist regulary to compensate for evaporation.Now the mycelium hit the valleys so i turned my water heater off and the setup is 72 degrees .started running an air pump with a co2 dispersal hose almost 18 hrs a day with a negative ion generator at the same time to bring in fresh air and lower co2.I"m also using a florescent grow bulb around 12hrs a day.Now its been 4 days and my mycelium is taking over my soil with very rhizomorphic strands,its pretty much all the way taken over.So my questions are #1am i on the right track or am i doing somthing wrong #2 i also have crushed oyster shell and some millet seed ,flax seed can anybody give me some good recipes with the stuff i have
This is my first post so be gentle, Thanks

An rH of 83% is too low. All you need to do is get some perlite, and put just a little moistened amount in there to bring it up to 95%. You need 95% to start the pinning phase. Your pins wont start without an increased humidity. However, if your keeping the casing that moist, it will create a microclimate suitiable for pinning. However, fi you want a better pinset you should stop watering that much and just get the perlite...its only a few bucks.

Sounds like you are on the right track. What kind of casing did you use? You'll probably succeed with your setup now, but if you wanna get more for you buck get the rH a little higher.

I"m yousing perlite right know in a self contained thick plastic tent with about 4 inches of perlite and i add about 1 gallon of water here and there in the perlite.Thier are water droplets all over the tent ,thats why i think my gauge doesn"t work right.Im pretty sure that im above 90% because i dont know what else i could do to raise it, ive tried everything(misting,vaporizer)
The casing i yoused is a topsoil i bought off of the magic mushroom link.which I baked in the oven for 2 hrs at 160 degrees. thanks for the reply.

you shouldnt let the casing layer get to overrun by mycelium ...from the sounds of it you should start pinning now....
reason why pinset should be started...

-SHROOMERY FAQ-
Overlay is a term that refers to the condition which can occur to an overly colonized casing layer. A casing layer which has approached 100% colonization risks overlay. Overlay occurs when the fine strands of mycelia die and become hard and matted (as compared to the light, strandy mycelia you will become familiar with.) Overlay is often bright white, since it has become so matted and impenetrable. Mushrooms will NOT grow from overlay, as the mycelia layer is dead on top, and cannot be penetrated from below. Touching overlay (its generally not a good idea to touch casings) - it literally feels like it is one solid piece, as compared to the much more pliant healthy mycelia. Avoid overlay by initiating pinning at the proper time. Overlay can't be "cured," per se, since the top layer of mycelia is literally dead. But you can help a casing which has overlay by "scratching" it - by dragging a fork, knife, or any other tool which will till the colonized substrate and allow for new colonization. This is to be avoided at all costs for the following reasons. First, it's never advisable to touch the casing layer in any way. It simply opens up another route for contamination to set in. If you scratch, make sure your tools are sterilized (alcohol, boiling, etc.) and you are clean. But do not touch the exposed substrate with your hands, for any reason. Second, dealing with overlay means you're not producing efficiently: when you scratch the casing, the mycelia has to recover from the shock and also re -colonize the casing layer, setting you back at least an appreciable week.

How do i initiate pinning?
Once the mycelium has appeared in the valleys of the casing layer it?s time to trigger primordia formation. The mycelium shouldn?t be allowed to colonize the casing surface since this can easily lead into an overlay. To trigger pinning, casings need three things: the introduction of fresh air exchanges (and thus, reduction of CO2buildup), the introduction of light, and the reduction in temperature. Ideally, the casing should be kept at 95 -100% RH at this phase, and temps maintained at around 70-75?F. To achieve this, remove the tinfoil/whatever from the casing completely. Place it within an appropriate moist terrarium and fan it 1-2 times a day. The ambient light of the room should be enough to initiate pinning, assuming your terrarium has some light and is somewhat see -through. At this time, if the casing layer seems dry, you *lightly* mist the casing layer with water. Not too much: otherwise fragile mycelial strands can die. The casing should remain moist but not wet

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